Effective consultation the future of justice

At the recent Queensland Law Society Symposium, Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath outlined her vision for the future of the legal profession under the Palaszczuk government.

Society president Michael Fitzgerald said that the Attorney-General’s work in meeting pre-election commitments was a positive sign for working with the recently elected State Government.

“The Attorney-General has demonstrated that she is listening to Queensland’s legal profession,” he said.

“This included announcing the removal of gag clauses for Community Legal Centres and other social advocacy services, a key election promise to the profession.

“She also announced her determination to fight for additional funding at a federal level for Community Legal Centres.

Queensland Law Society is deeply concerned about the real prospect of government cuts to Community Legal Centres as well as Legal Aid Queensland and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, which are key providers of domestic violence legal services in Queensland.

“There is a crisis in access to justice for Queenslanders experiencing domestic violence, as recently outlined in the report by the Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland chaired by the Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“It does not make sense to cut funding in the community legal services sector.

“Allowing key stakeholders to raise their concerns is vital to ensure that ours remains a strong democracy.

“We look forward to working with Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath in achieving these goals.”

Queensland Law Society’s annual Symposium is the largest gathering of legal professionals in Queensland, with more than 500 solicitors, barristers and judges participating across the two day event held on 20-21 March 2015.